Tag Archives: Vancouver

note: this article first appeared on David Suzuki Foundation’s blog. I have shared this very valuable message because of it’s urgent importance to our modern society, no matter where we live in the world.

The Metro Vancouver transit plebiscite results are in. Although people in Metro Vancouver voted against a small tax increase for transit and transportation improvements, we can all take away some positive lessons from the campaign.

This result doesn’t mean that people rejected transit and transportation improvements. Advocates for a No vote shifted voters’ attention to issues with TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s regional transit authority, and off of the transportation projects proposed by the region’s mayors, making it impossible to say why people voted no.

We know there’s support for better transit and transportation options in Metro Vancouver. That’s why 145 groups joined the Better Transit and Transportation Coalition, the biggest and broadest coalition of its kind in B.C.’s history. That support doesn’t end with a No vote.

We should remember that 38 per cent of people voted yes for better transportation and transit. That’s significant. They voted for better transit to benefit the environment, economy and public health. They recognized that supporting transit and transportation improvements is the single most effective regional response to climate change. Campaigners for the No side themselves voiced support for transportation improvements, even if they didn’t agree about how to achieve them.

While we at the David Suzuki Foundation accept that voters have spoken, we’re concerned about the effect this result will have on the region’s livability. Years of delays are likely before any new transit comes online — with the unfortunate, predictable increase in road congestion and pollution as Metro Vancouver’s population grows. It’s incumbent on all levels of government to find funding for transit and transportation improvements to keep the region livable. The provincial government and the Mayors’ Council must show leadership to find a way forward to fund the projects that Metro Vancouver desperately needs.

The David Suzuki Foundation would like to thank the organizations, supporters and volunteers who worked for a Yes vote, along with everyone in Metro Vancouver who voted on this important issue. It was a long campaign and we knew it wouldn’t be easy to translate this complicated issue into a simple Yes or No decision.
One thing is certain and that is our commitment to transit solutions as one of the best ways to address climate change. We will continue to support research and advocate for transit improvements for Canada’s large urban areas. Traffic gridlock does not have to become the new norm and emissions from transportation do not have to continue to rise.

We look forward to the innovative solutions that will lead the way to a more sustainable future.

I live in East Vancouver, a district of Vancouver that encompasses a plethora of little villages with residential & business zoning closely tied together, intermingling on street parking, laneways filled with recycling boxes, garbage cans, graffiti, chicken coops and overhead electric wires, community gardens, greasy spoon all day breakfast diners, dive bars, overwhelming homeless problems, hipster joints, and all the cool kids.

It’s a beautiful place to live, for the most part a very friendly and pleasant community to hang out in with most people saying hello while out for a walk on a lovely Vancouver day.

On July 11, 2014 – 15 artists will get together for the second installment of The Art Affair. This affair will be held at the Vancouver Club (915 West Hastings St), a very fine establishment in the heart of Vancouver, occupying the Grand Ballroom on the second floor from 5 – 10 pm.

The evening promises great fun for all who attend, as there will be cocktails, live music, canapes and lots and lots of fine art ranging in price from $25 – $4000.

One of my favorite images I’ve ever seen is Jack Shadbolt’s Voices from 1986.

Shadbolt was born in 1909 in England, but developed himself as a prominent artist and teacher in Vancouver in the 1930s, retiring in 1966. Shadbolt has received honourary LL.D. from Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Victoria. He received the Order of Canada in 1972, and was made Freeman of the City of Vancouver in 1990.

Shadbolt’s early influences came from Emily Carr, but his travels and studies have also given him inspiration from various other artists and groups, most notably Joan Miró and Picasso. However various others like: the schools of Paris, British Surrealists Paul Nash and Graham Sutherland, Cézanne, Mexican muralists, American Social Realists and Abstract Expressionists have also influenced Shadbolt in various stages of his career.

Throughout Shadbolt’s career he has use Coast Indian imagery, sparked by Emily Carr, but also due to the fact that it is a visual narrative, a story telling.

Vancouver burlesque stars Lola Frost, Cherry On-Top, and Burgundy Brixx one year ago had a vision to create something they had been all collectively thinking about. The dream was to build a place to share their burlesque with the world. They dreamed of their own studio where they could teach their own classes on sass. Something most dance studios shy away from, or teach it with instructors who don’t dance burlesque themselves. What these three women offer is more than a dance class. They offer their hearts. Read their schedule to get an idea of what they do. It’s really no joke. Continue Reading →

Bret Taylor of Howyadoin Graphics hosted his third solo show [see the last one I attended] [with the help of his agent] called Dinosaurs. If you ask me, the show was a success, but that’s not my duty to define. Most of his works sold out immediately before I arrived there, the place was filled with many admiring fans, and he was a happy camper.

It was held in a Cambie and 4th Ave artist space that fit the atmosphere perfectly. One of my favorite pieces was his Velociraptor, which ironically was one of the 3 pieces that hadn’t sold by the time I got there. He has a very interesting way of keeping the background very prominent, while pulling attention into the foreground, the main attraction of the work.

Will you be at Bret’s next event? I hope you head to his website to make sure you don’t miss his next one! If not for the fun time, go for the to support the art!

The 21st edition of Pecha Kucha Night Vancouver was, as expected, a great success again. The night was filled with many inspiring presenters who offered great advice, insight into their creative processes, and expositions of their world renowned work.

I had no idea that Vancouver was into branding their neighborhoods one at a time, but it appears that is the case. In the past, they’ve gone from Gastown, Yaletown, Main Street, South Granville, Granville Island, Commercial Drive, (etc.) and now we have a new area, it’s called the East Village.